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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27537961">Where Have You Been?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/demi_gray/pseuds/demi_gray'>demi_gray</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Asexual Character, Implied abuse, No Romance, Oneshot, Pardoned Pals Ending | PP (Henry Stickmin), Short Story, They/Themry, Trans Character, ellie and jacob are siblings, headcanons, henry uses ASL, implied trans ellie, they/them henry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:02:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27537961</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/demi_gray/pseuds/demi_gray</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jacob hasn't seen his sister ever since she left home and dropped off the map entirely. When he finally runs into her again, it doesn't feel quite right.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ellie Rose &amp; Henry Stickmin, Jacob Rose &amp; Ellie Rose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Where Have You Been?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>several headcanons tossed in here but otherwise pretty straightforward. hope y'all like! i haven't seen much if any rose sibling content on here so i will deliver something small</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>       The first time Jacob saw Ellie in years was at a gas station. It was 2:15 in the afternoon.</p><p>       She was leaning against a blue motorcycle, tapping on a beat-up looking cellphone, clearly waiting for something or someone. Her hair was a bright red, dyed and cut into a bob, but it was still very clearly <em>her</em>.</p><p>       Jacob stood dumbfounded, driver’s side door of his car open and his hand still resting on the top.</p><p>       Yeah, that was his sister.</p><p>       She was wearing a crop top with puffy sleeves and skinny jeans; something she’d never get away with at home. But she looked good in them, more...herself.</p><p>       That was definitely Ellie Undecided-Middlename Rose loitering in the gas station parking lot.</p><p>       Jacob shut the door of his car a little louder than usual.</p><p>       Ellie blinked, glancing up at the sound. Her gaze remained stagnant, and she looked back down. Then she did a double take, gaze returning abruptly to lock eyes with Jacob, the two of them only a few parking spots apart.</p><p>       For a long minute they simply stared at each other. Then Jacob hurried forward, her name questioning on his lips.</p><p>       “Jake,” she answered, hand holding her phone tensing. Jacob stopped short a couple feet from her.</p><p>       “Uh…”</p><p>       A pause. “It’s been a while,” she said quietly, pocketing her phone and avoiding his gaze.</p><p>       “You don’t say,” he replied, feet shifting on the blacktop. “...you look better,” he added.</p><p>       She blushed a bit, a smile finally forming on her face, though she still didn’t meet his eyes again. “Does the hair suit me?” she asked, brushing a stray strand from her face.</p><p>       “I think it does,” Jacob affirmed. “It fits the whole...rebel thing you still seem to have going on.”</p><p>       Ellie laughed lightly. “Ah, you have no idea,” she grinned. Finally she met his eyes. “It’s good to see you, little brother.”</p><p>       “You’re still on those fifteen minutes?” Jacob asked with a heavy sigh. “It’s good to see you too.”</p><p>       She held out a hand. “It feels a little more appropriate to shake hands than hug.”</p><p>       “Whatever works for you, big sister.” Jacob shook, wiping one eye. Was he tearing up…?</p><p>       “I didn't think you'd moved this far out,” she said, leaning back on her bike and crossing her arms.</p><p>       “Had to get away from you-know-who,” Jacob huffed. “She kept talking bad about you, and then straight up kicked me out when I told her I thought I was asexual.”</p><p>       Ellie sneered. “She probably figured you were her last resort for grandkids. Congrats on asexuality, though.”</p><p>       “Thanks.” Jacob nudged a small pebble with his toe. “You okay with telling me why you basically went silent?”</p><p>       “You probably wouldn't like it,” Ellie chuckled. “I'm safe now, though, if you want to exchange numbers. I'd like that.”</p><p>       “...‘safe now?’”</p><p>       “Like I said, you wouldn't like it. I'm doing fine, Jake.”</p><p>       “If you say so,” he sighed. “Can't say you’re helping my worries.” They gave each other their phone number, but had scarcely finished when a third personage walked up. They were abhorrently tall, and handed Ellie a slushie.</p><p>       “Thanks, Hen,” she told them. They gave a small smile and sipped at their own drink. “Jacob, this is Henry, they/them, my partner in crime.” Henry waved. “Henry, Jacob. He’s my brother.” Henry’s brow raised a few inches, but they did not make a comment.</p><p>       “I'm hoping you don't mean actual crime,” Jacob said apprehensively. “Because this guy looks suspiciously like a certain Stickmin.”</p><p>       Henry laughed, the first noise out of their mouth since they’d gotten there. Ellie grinned. “If you know them, then you probably know they’ve been pardoned. I'd check your pockets, though.” Henry waggled their eyebrows, twiddling their free fingers in a silly caricature of intimidation.</p><p>       “Ellie, you’ve made the strangest of friends while you were gone,” Jacob sighed.</p><p>       “Yeah, and what have <em>you</em> been doing?” Ellie countered playfully.</p><p>       Henry procured a baseball cap from somewhere.</p><p>       Wait. That was <em>Jacob’s</em> museum cap.</p><p>       Which had been <em>in his car</em>.</p><p>       “H-hey!” he exclaimed, reaching up and snatching it from Henry, who had clearly let him do so. “How did you…”</p><p>       “Told you to check your pockets.”</p><p>       “This wasn't even in my pockets!”</p><p>       “No excuse.”</p><p>       Jacob frowned, shaking out the cap for fear of...whatever. Crime cooties? “I work at a museum. This is part of my uniform.”</p><p>       Henry signed something. Jacob did not understand it, though got a good idea when Ellie grinned and spoke. “Really? Ha! So you've crossed paths before.”</p><p>       “Not on good terms,” Jacob muttered. “I couldn't even <em>do</em> anything.”</p><p>       Henry signed something again, and Ellie kindly translated. “It might ease you to know that that diamond wasn't going to be there much longer anyway, seeing as the mayor was a Toppat.”</p><p>       “...and how do you know that?”</p><p>       Henry grinned with all their teeth. It was unnerving.</p><p>       “Yeah, didn't think I’d get an answer,” the man sighed. He folded the hat and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. “Whatever.”</p><p>       Ellie smiled. “Hey, keep in touch,” she told him, raising her fist. Jacob bumped it with his. “We’ve gotta head out now, but you and I should catch up properly some time.”</p><p>       “Absolutely,” Jacob agreed, his own smile sadder.</p><p>       Ellie hopped onto the motorcycle, no protection, kicking the bike stand up. Henry climbed on behind her, one arm around her waist and the other still holding their slushie. “I'll catch you later,” Ellie told him, giving a casual salute with two fingers before testing the engine and pulling out of the station. Henry waved cheerily.</p><p>       Jacob waved back, but his motions fell short. Ellie was certainly still Ellie, but...she was clearly apprehensive to stay around for too long. And hanging out with an ex-criminal? No judgement as long as she wasn't putting herself in danger, but still. And she was so withdrawn, too, not even hugging him, something she would have (and had) done the last time he saw her.</p><p>       He scratched the back of his head, then noticed that his car keys were missing.</p>
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